"You have to be thankful for the little things, because sometimes that's all there is." We were going through a particularly rough patch in the journey of foster parenting, but our case worker's off hand comment brought an unnoticed moment into clearer focus. She chuckled when she said it; I think there was some cynicism lurking not far beneath the surface. "Forget looking for big stuff, you'll always be disappointed… "I think that's what she meant.

But the comment remained pinned on the bulletin board of my mind, and I have often looked back on it in the intervening years. Like peering the "wrong way" through binoculars, I see a different perspective of the picture she drew, a bigger reality that gives meaning to every single day, if only I remember. So, in the spirit of Thursdays are for thankfulness, I offer the following list of small things, gifts that whisper to me of the Giver.

1. I'm thankful for one jaunty Northern Bobwhite who joined me on my walk last week. His comical bobbing, his determination to keep putting one foot ahead of the other, made me smile. Sometimes when my life walk seems lonely, God sends an unexpected companion my way. He prompts someone to send me a card that arrives right then, right when I need it desperately. I get an e-mail from a new friend across the world that says …keep smiling… and then gives me a good reason to do just that. Recently, an old friend has re-entered my life in a way I could never have planned, guessed, imagined. Small things matter… phone call across the miles, carafe of coffee shared on the porch, tears of empathy...nourishment for the soul. I'm grateful for company on the journey, for reminders that I never walk alone.

Big sky in Big Valley

2. I'm thankful for sunsets of significance. To one from my ascetic background, color seems to be an unnecessary addition to an ordinary, everyday occurrence. True, the sky is large, but the event is small, routine, insignificant. The sun goes down every single day. No need to make a production of it; just "get 'er done." Too often, this has been my approach to life. I have chosen the conservative route, and I'm not talking politics here. My approach to life has been thrifty. (Oh, you are so Mennonite, a son of mine could be heard to say when he realized I was saving plastic bags/kids' clothes in the attic/mealtime leftovers.) At times my desire to be a good steward has bordered on stingy. I'm not saying that there's no place for The More-With-Less-Cookbook or an afternoon of shopping at Goodwill. But there are times, I am learning, when it is good (very, very good) to set aside caution for lavishness, economy for generosity, frugality for liberality in the truest sense of the word. When it comes to a routine sunset, I'm thrilled when God goes extravagant, excessive, extreme. I'm grateful for magnificence in life's little routines.

3. I'm thankful for the shadows. I had fun trying to take this picture. Just as I would think, "now I'm set, I'll click the shot"… clouds would drift across the sun's face, and my view finder couldn't find anything but rough furrows. James 1:17 reminds me that every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is neither variableness/variation or shadow due to change, no shifting shadow, no shadow of turning. What a relief. Not much is solid in our world anymore. Economy? Moral boundaries? Personal health? Leaning on these as foundational is as foolish as trying to lean on my shadow self on this newly plowed field. Not so God. He, Source of Light, is beyond shadow, beyond shifting. A shadow is asmall thing, when it's anything at all, and I'm grateful for the reminder that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.

4. I'm thankful for heart shapes in unexpected places. I believe Mother Teresa is credited with the quote, "In this life we cannot do great things; we can only do small things with great love." God, of course, is capable of doing great things. But I find delight in his ability and willingness to do small things that remind me of His great love for me. I know His love reaches to the heavens, but what gives me pause some days is wondering if it reaches to the earth, where I live and walk and struggle. I'm grateful for small reminders of great love.

dogwood

black lace elderberry

bleeding heart

dogwood petal on stone

5. I'm thankful for green stems and buds. Yes, I know, this patch of hope is next to the house, protected, charmed from its snug bed by dryer vent warmth, always first to break through brown earth and snow cover. True, it will be weeks until flower-bright heads nod at me on the way to the clothesline, but it will happen! That fat bud on the lilac branch, the blush of red on an unknown twig, the smell of thawing leaf debris, the murmur of woodland water music, are a handful of scribbled promises if only I read them. Yes it is still winter, but this is not all there is. Not in my/your Valley, nor in my/your life. I'm grateful for littlepromises that offer great hope.

6. I'm thankful for a lamb on a hill. The miserable little fellow is newborn, his coat still marred with the stains of birth. His mother is distressed, and though the sound is muted by distance, I know she is baa-ing her deep concern. The snow flies thick and fast, whipped by February wind, and I share her mother worries, wondering if anyone has noticed them, behind the barn, on the high and blustery hill. But it is only one lamb, and in a flock of a hundred, a one percent loss is minimal, to be expected, not worth mentioning. Unless, of course, the one is me. When life's unexpected storms catch me off guard, I know my Shepherd is on duty, watchful, ever seeking me. I'm grateful for a Lamb on a hill who has become my Good Shepherd.

And there you have it, my half dozen little reasons to give thanks to the Giver of all good things. I believe that if you are willing to look for the small things, you too will find yourself on the path of gratitude. If you are willing to let those crumbs of joy nourish you, the trail will lead you to the gracious giving heart of God. And there you will discover that truly there are no small things, no coincidences, no accidents, for the plan of the Giver is always to draw us to Himself. And that is no small thing at all.

Thanks for the reminder...for life is, after all, made up of small things!

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Brenda

2/23/2012 02:58:04 pm

I can't tell you how often I need this reminder as well.

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Leona Graybill

3/6/2012 08:36:36 am

I especially like no.1
Just one step at a time will get me there.
I love his perky, determined, looking stride

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I'm finding my way beyond the maze of the "middle" years (if I'm gonna be 100 and something someday...) ​living life as a country woman who is a writer, gardener, wife, mom, nature observer, teacher,and most of all a much loved child of God.